Author Topic: Flower Kings Official Thread  (Read 230885 times)

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Offline Plasmastrike

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #175 on: May 12, 2010, 11:33:31 AM »
So, I've had four albums by this band in my iTunes for months:
Retropolis
Untold The Future
Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel

Well, I finally decided to give them a run. I chose Paradox and just got done with the epic second track. This band is phenomenal! I'm so impressed. They have potential to really climb my favorite band list.

Kind of a random observation, but I also got into Transatlantic just recently through The Whirlwind. It remains my favorite album by them by far, absolutely love it. Paradox so far actually kind of reminds me a lot of Whirlwind, with the really grand, arena-filling climax ending (track 2). Maybe Roine got a lot more arm room for writing with TA's most recent album. (I truly have no idea - just observing)

Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #176 on: May 12, 2010, 12:46:22 PM »
So, I've had four albums by this band in my iTunes for months:
Retropolis
Untold The Future
Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel

Well, I finally decided to give them a run. I chose Paradox and just got done with the epic second track. This band is phenomenal! I'm so impressed. They have potential to really climb my favorite band list.

This is great to hear. :tup :tup

Kind of a random observation, but I also got into Transatlantic just recently through The Whirlwind. It remains my favorite album by them by far, absolutely love it. Paradox so far actually kind of reminds me a lot of Whirlwind, with the really grand, arena-filling climax ending (track 2). Maybe Roine got a lot more arm room for writing with TA's most recent album. (I truly have no idea - just observing)

I think it is fairly obvious what songs from "The Whirlwind" suite had the most Roine influence...namely, the ones he sings.

Offline Plasmastrike

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #177 on: May 12, 2010, 01:31:58 PM »
Gotta love being new to bands pointing out the obvious :P :biggrin:

Offline dedSurroun

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #178 on: May 12, 2010, 03:17:30 PM »
My ranking, which only has a few really clear and definite spots, marked in bold. The rest are a "more or less" type deal, although this ranking has been consistent the past year or so. I had to include two fanclub releases, which in my opinion either ranks as highly, or higher, than some of the studio album, especially Harvest.

1. Unfold The Future
** Harvest (Fanclub 2005)
2. Flower Power
3. Space Revolver
4. Adam & Eve
** BetchaWannaDanceStoopid! (Fanclub 2004)
5. Stardust We Are
6. The Sum Of No Evil
7. The Rainmaker
8. Paradox Hotel
9. Retropolis
10. Back In The World Of Adventure
« Last Edit: May 12, 2010, 03:24:09 PM by dedSurroun »
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Offline LudwigVan

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #179 on: May 12, 2010, 03:57:30 PM »
That's a nice ranking, I like where you've got Adam and Eve :tup. The only thing I might put above it is Stardust.
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Offline reneranucci

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #180 on: May 12, 2010, 09:05:37 PM »
I canīt get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). Iīm a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think itīs not one of the albumīs strenghts. Iīll try to focus on other things.

Offline MetalManiac666

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #181 on: May 12, 2010, 09:16:18 PM »
Lately, I have not been able to stop listening to "Chicken Farmer Song."  SO CATCHY, SO HAPPY

Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #182 on: May 12, 2010, 10:19:07 PM »
Gotta love being new to bands pointing out the obvious :P :biggrin:

Eh?  Color me confused. ???

Lately, I have not been able to stop listening to "Chicken Farmer Song."  SO CATCHY, SO HAPPY

Love it, too. :coolio :coolio

Offline dedSurroun

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #183 on: May 13, 2010, 02:12:56 PM »
That's a nice ranking, I like where you've got Adam and Eve :tup. The only thing I might put above it is Stardust.
Yeah, I really like A&E. Don't see why a lot of people put it further down.

IMHO, SWE has more filler material, and weaker songs overall, hence it's place. But it's still a damn good album. It's funny, saying that a TFK album isn't "that good" still places it way, waaaay above the competition. Even a #10 spot is relatively high.
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Offline dedSurroun

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #184 on: May 13, 2010, 02:14:21 PM »
I canīt get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). Iīm a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think itīs not one of the albumīs strenghts. Iīll try to focus on other things.
I agree. I can get into it, but it's just not as good as people claim it is. A bit overrated. Luckily there's plenty more music by them to enjoy.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #185 on: May 13, 2010, 03:22:47 PM »
Yeah, I really like A&E. Don't see why a lot of people put it further down.

IMHO, SWE has more filler material, and weaker songs overall, hence it's place.  

Eh, nothing on SWA is close to as weak as "Adam and Eve" or "Starlight Man," not counting SWA's short, transitional pieces (which are like interludes rather than real songs).

It's funny, saying that a TFK album isn't "that good" still places it way, waaaay above the competition. Even a #10 spot is relatively high.

Very true.  I like A&E a lot, but I cannot put it any higher than 8th on my list.

I canīt get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). Iīm a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think itīs not one of the albumīs strenghts. Iīll try to focus on other things.
I agree. I can get into it, but it's just not as good as people claim it is. A bit overrated.

Absolute rubbish, laddie! :biggrin:

Offline reneranucci

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #186 on: May 13, 2010, 03:29:21 PM »
I canīt get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). Iīm a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think itīs not one of the albumīs strenghts. Iīll try to focus on other things.
I agree. I can get into it, but it's just not as good as people claim it is. A bit overrated. Luckily there's plenty more music by them to enjoy.
Definitely.End on a High Note saves disc 1 (what an appropiate name for a song  :P). Maybe itīll grow on me but Iīm disappointed so far. After listening to Garden of Dreams I thought this band couldnīt do anything bad. Well, maybe disc 2 is better.

I find Bavarian Skies absolutely unbearable. Musically, vocally and, above all, lyrically. I had to say it, no offense to the band, I think theyīre great, but creating such a song was completely unnecessary IMO. Maybe Iīm missing something and the intention of the song was to build up on the sadness of the previous songs and that goes on the next two songs. Kev, what do you think? I donīt want to be harsh, but that song really irritated me.

EDIT: Ok I read previous comments on this thread about the song.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2010, 03:34:49 PM by reneranucci »

Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #187 on: May 13, 2010, 03:43:06 PM »
"Bavarian Skies" is not one of my favorites, but I like it, and think it works really well at that point in the album.  It is pretty different for them, yes, especially given how dreary it is, but I think it works.  And I love the songs before and after it. 

Offline Quadrochosis

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #188 on: May 13, 2010, 07:24:43 PM »
For me PH has the same feel that The Beatles' The Beatles had. All the song are very varied and different, and don't really sound like they should be together, but it somehow works out sounding really interesting and great. It's almost as if every song is a new band, which is a cool thing to do for an album, and I feel that it worked well.
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Offline The Letter M

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #189 on: May 13, 2010, 08:06:47 PM »
For me PH has the same feel that The Beatles' The Beatles had. All the song are very varied and different, and don't really sound like they should be together, but it somehow works out sounding really interesting and great. It's almost as if every song is a new band, which is a cool thing to do for an album, and I feel that it worked well.

Oddly enough, both Paradox Hotel and The Beatles are each respective band's ninth studio albums! Number 9... number 9... number 9...

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Offline Quadrochosis

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #190 on: May 13, 2010, 08:08:07 PM »
For me PH has the same feel that The Beatles' The Beatles had. All the song are very varied and different, and don't really sound like they should be together, but it somehow works out sounding really interesting and great. It's almost as if every song is a new band, which is a cool thing to do for an album, and I feel that it worked well.

Oddly enough, both Paradox Hotel and The Beatles are each respective band's ninth studio albums! Number 9... number 9... number 9...

-Marc.

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Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #191 on: May 14, 2010, 01:32:48 PM »
That's an interesting take, Quad.  I don't necessarily agree with it, but it is interesting, nonetheless. :biggrin:

Offline dedSurroun

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #192 on: May 14, 2010, 02:49:38 PM »
Yeah, I really like A&E. Don't see why a lot of people put it further down.

IMHO, SWE has more filler material, and weaker songs overall, hence it's place.  

Eh, nothing on SWA is close to as weak as "Adam and Eve" or "Starlight Man," not counting SWA's short, transitional pieces (which are like interludes rather than real songs).
Going along with your argument that those two songs are weak, I can think of a few of the top of my head that are at least on par with, if not worse than, them: In The Eyes Of The World, Compassion, The End Of Innocence, The Merrygoround, and Different People.

I canīt get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). Iīm a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think itīs not one of the albumīs strenghts. Iīll try to focus on other things.
I agree. I can get into it, but it's just not as good as people claim it is. A bit overrated.

Absolute rubbish, laddie! :biggrin:
Hahaha, yeah no  :corn
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Offline Quadrochosis

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #193 on: May 14, 2010, 11:13:07 PM »
Going along with your argument that those two songs are weak, I can think of a few of the top of my head that are at least on par with, if not worse than, them: In The Eyes Of The World, Compassion, The End Of Innocence, The Merrygoround, and Different People.

What? "In The Eyes of the World", "The Merrygoround" and "Different People" are some of SWE's best. "Compassion" is amazing too.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #194 on: May 14, 2010, 11:18:32 PM »
Yeah, those songs are all amazing, so I can't agree with that at all.  "The End of Innocence" is the least bunch of that bunch, but that is still a good song, and miles better than those clunkers from A&E, IMO.

Offline LudwigVan

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #195 on: May 15, 2010, 06:31:49 PM »
I'm finding that The Flower Kings is perfect spring/summer outdoor listening music.   :tup
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #196 on: May 15, 2010, 11:03:22 PM »
I'm finding that The Flower Kings is perfect spring/summer outdoor listening music.   :tup

Damn straight!  Oddly, I haven't gone through my usual TFK phase yet this spring, but we keep getting too much damn rain.  Once it gets all sunny and warm out on a regular basis, I will know that that phase is just around the corner. :D

Offline The Letter M

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #197 on: May 15, 2010, 11:22:59 PM »
I'm finding that The Flower Kings is perfect spring/summer outdoor listening music.   :tup

Damn straight!  Oddly, I haven't gone through my usual TFK phase yet this spring, but we keep getting too much damn rain.  Once it gets all sunny and warm out on a regular basis, I will know that that phase is just around the corner. :D

Funny you guys mention this. I was in my TFK phase a couple months ago, between February-March, but for the last few weeks, it's been Marillion for me, which has fit with most of my current moods lately, as well as the weather (which seems to change day to day, and has been gray and rainy for much of the last month or so here). I'll probably rotate TFK back in sometime over the summer, but when I get SBX in a week or so, it'll probably be Spock's Beard for a month or two... maybe when the 2nd Agents Of Mercy album is released, i'll be in full TFK-mode by then!

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Offline Quadrochosis

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #198 on: May 15, 2010, 11:24:27 PM »
Funny, over the winter I was in a TFK phase and now for the beginning of the summer I seem to be moving into a PT phase :lol
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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #199 on: May 17, 2010, 02:44:59 PM »
"Bavarian Skies" is not one of my favorites, but I like it, and think it works really well at that point in the album.  It is pretty different for them, yes, especially given how dreary it is, but I think it works.  And I love the songs before and after it. 
I adore Bavarian Skies, the timing and placement of it within the album are perfect, and it's just so eerie and unusual. One of the things I love about TFK is that they can do surprising things like that.

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Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #200 on: May 25, 2010, 10:03:51 PM »
FYI, my next top 50 list will be for TFK...and I will be doing it in this thread.  I should be starting it sometime in the next 24 hours. :hat

Offline Quadrochosis

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #201 on: May 25, 2010, 10:23:57 PM »
Nice! I can't wait!
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Offline Plasmastrike

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #202 on: May 25, 2010, 11:03:29 PM »
Word kevvv.  :metal

Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #203 on: May 25, 2010, 11:04:31 PM »
Okay, like the other top 50s I have done, this is all for fun, and I put the list together in a short amount of time, so this is more or less to generate discussion and get us all talking about the greatness of the Flower Kings!  I didn't do this with the others, but this time, I will be the album each song is from after the song title.  And away we go...

50. "The Truth Will Set You Free" (Unfold the Future)

That's right.  "The Truth..." is number 50.  This will seem low to a lot of people, some of whom consider it one of their best songs ever, if not their best, but while I like it a lot, I have never gone completely crazy over it like so many others have.  I feel it could have been trimmed a bit and been much, much better, but as is, it is still pretty damn good, and more than worthy of making my top 50.

49. "Church of Your Heart" (Stardust We Are)

This might sound odd, but this sounds like one of those songs the band could write in their sleep.  It sounds like a by-the-numbers prog rock mini-epic, but that doesn't take away from its greatness.  That actually says a lot about how prolific they are, when they can make something that sounds so standard for the genre sound so great.  The main musical melody in this songs always reminds me of a song I heard in church growing up, hence the title.  That can't be a coincidence.

48. "Train to Nowhere" (Back in the World of Adventures)

This song is a shining example of how great Roine Stolt's understated, yet expressive, vocals can be; I prefer his voice over Forberg's by a massive distance.  Roine's soulful guitar playing during the choruses is so wonderful, I could listen to him play stuff like that all day long.  Very cool song lyrically, too.

47. "Timelines" (Adam & Eve)

A very dynamic song, this song runs the gauntlet between the quirky rocking side of the band and the laid back, chilling vibe that they do so well.  I love the acoustic during the verses, and when the mellotron and bass guitar come in during the latter half of the first verse, that is some killer stuff going on there.  Roine's guitar solo in this song is absolute money.  Something tells me I could probably say that about most of the songs I will list in this countdown!

46. "Rumble Fish Twist" (Space Revolver)

Another very dynamic song, this instrumental might be the most showy the band has ever gotten, as the first few minutes move at a pretty furious pace, the keys and drums being the standouts.  Then, the song slows down, and the guitar and bass take center stage.  Despite the contrast between the two parts of the song, it still manages to sound cohesive.  



  
« Last Edit: May 25, 2010, 11:09:51 PM by KevShmev »

Offline Quadrochosis

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #204 on: May 25, 2010, 11:37:48 PM »
I'd put CoYH higher, but that's just me. Good tunes so far :tup
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
« Reply #205 on: May 26, 2010, 09:49:24 AM »
I'd put CoYH higher, but that's just me. 

It might have been higher had I done it today.  Looking the list over again just now, I adjusted it on the fly...moved a few up, and moved a few down.  But once I post them here, they are locked in, so 45 and up are still subject to changing...until I do another update later tonight. :biggrin:

Offline Quadrochosis

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
« Reply #206 on: May 26, 2010, 12:03:13 PM »
That's funny I do the same thing to my lists  :biggrin: :lol
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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
« Reply #207 on: May 26, 2010, 02:07:49 PM »
Listened to Unfold the Future and Space Revolver at work today. SO MUCH GREAT MUSIC. :D

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Offline The Letter M

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
« Reply #208 on: May 26, 2010, 03:14:13 PM »
I listened to UTF this morning in it's entirety... amazing album. Although when looking at my iPod, I realized I haven't listened to it a lot, or in awhile, and that both Adam & Eve and Paradox Hotel had A LOT more play counts than UTF.

Choosing UTF over PH was a VERY hard decision in the Five Albums thread, but really, I could pick either depending on my mood. I've just been in more of a mood that UTF reflects than PH... although coming off my recent Marillion-kick, PH might be exactly what I should be listening to! (I'm going off to put PH on as soon as I finish spinning Spock's Beard's X).

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Offline MetalManiac666

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Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
« Reply #209 on: May 26, 2010, 09:18:28 PM »
Just ordered Flower Power off of Amazon.  It'll be my second FK album, my first being Space Revolver.  I'm pumped to hear it.